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Takoma’s Center for Rehabilitation Expands To Include Hand Therapy Services

GREENEVILLE, TN– Imagine for a moment what life would be like without your hands. Eating, dressing and driving would all be difficult, if not impossible.

That’s why Takoma Adventist Hospital has dedicated a new line of service to preserving hands.

Called Takoma Hand Therapy, this new division of patient services at Takoma’s Outpatient Center for Rehabilitation offers a specialized blend of occupational therapy and physical therapy skills.

“We assess and treat hand and upper extremity pain to prevent dysfunction and to restore patients to participation in work, self-care, and leisure activities,” Diane Coffey, a physical therapist who is director of the hospital’s rehabilitation services, said. “We are constantly striving to improve our patient care by adding new lines of service with greater levels of specialization. Hand therapy is growing at Takoma in both specialized staff and equipment necessary for best care.”

Coffey is joined by occupational therapist Gary Davidson in providing the hand therapy services at Takoma Hand Therapy.

Coffey and Davidson provides specialized care for those recovering from work-related or traumatic hand injury, or those who have had hand or upper extremity surgery.

Coffey received a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy at Loma Linda University. Davidson completed his master’s degree in occupational therapy at Milligan College and his clinical affiliations at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Both are pursing advanced credentials as a certified hand therapist.

“Early, comprehensive hand-therapy services are important to lessen recovery time and to facilitate best outcomes following injury or surgery,” Davidson noted.

Meanwhile, noted hand surgeon Dr. Paul W. Gorman of Trinity Hand Specialists in Johnson City has returned to Greeneville. Dr. Gorman will work with Takoma Hand Therapy to provide local therapy care to his patients in and around Greene County. For the convenience of his patients, Dr. Gorman is again providing surgical services in Greeneville.

Gorman, a supporter and advocate of hand therapy, said: “The best hand care occurs when a motivated and well-informed patient is treated by a hand specialist who integrates hand therapy early rather than late in the healing process.”

For more information on any of these services, please contact Takoma Hand Therapy at the Outpatient Center for Rehabilitation at 783-7911. The center, located at 108 W. Summer St., is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.